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Paying your rent and service charges

PostedTuesday, 11 April 2017
by Rose Sudnik

You will be informed how much rent you need to pay when you are offered the property and this will be on your tenancy agreement. Most tenancies are weekly tenancies payable four weeks in advance. You must take full responsibility for paying your rent even if you receive Universal Credit or Housing Benefit.

You may also have to pay other charges with the rent. This will be shown in your tenancy agreement. This could include water rates and a service charge, covering items such as window cleaning, gardening, communal electricity and lift.

Your rent will be increased no more than once per year usually from the first Monday in April. You will be given four weeks’ notice of any changes.

For leaseholders

If you are required to pay rent, the amount you pay will vary depending on the amount of equity you have purchased.

As a leaseholder you may have to pay a yearly ground rent to us as the owner of the land your property is built on and this is usually included within the service charge.

You can pay your rent and service charges via the following methods:

Direct Debit

This is the easiest way to pay your rent and service charges. Once you have completed the direct debit form we can take the money from your account. When the rent and other charges change we give you four weeks’ notice and then we arrange with your bank to pay the new amount. When you sign your tenancy agreement, you will be offered a direct debit form or you can request one from our Customer Service Hub.

Banker’s Standing Order

This is similar to direct debit but you have to contact your bank to make any changes. Please contact the Customer Service Hub for a form.

Website

Pay online via www.jjhousing.co.uk.

Rent payment swipe card

At the Post Office or Giro bank. If you want to use this method please contact the Customer Service Hub.

Debit Card

Please call our Customer Service Hub to pay by debit card.

Your rent is used to pay the following:

Repairs and maintenance of the property such as collecting rents, organising repairs, providing services

Investing in improvements to your service

As a Johnnie Johnson resident your rent is set by us. Our rents are normally set in line with a government formula.

Rents are based on:

Value of your property

Number of bedrooms

Average local earnings

Our aim is to set rents that are affordable to all our residents but cover the costs of providing and managing your home. There are government limits to how much we can increase or decrease the rent by and how much above the target rents we can charge. If you are not happy with your rent you can appeal to the first-tier tribunal (property chamber). Our Customer Service Hub Advisors can provide details on the procedure.

If you are on a low income you may be able to get help towards paying some or all of your rent, in the form of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit. Your Neighbourhood Housing Officer or Independent Living Coordinator (ILC) will be able to advise you about how to claim.

If you have any difficulties in paying your rent you must advise us immediately. We will also be monitoring your account carefully and will contact you to discuss any missed payments. We will help you to clear your arrears by giving benefit advice and helping you to make an arrangement for regular repayments. However, if you do not keep up the payments or do not keep in touch with us we will apply to court for possession of your home.

Your home, your handbook

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